Barely 24 Hours After, Electricity Workers Suspend Strike

Electricity workers, under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), have suspended the industrial action that began on Thursday, September 25.

The suspension came barely 24 hours after the strike commenced and was formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Abuja on the same day.

Signatories to the agreement included the unions, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO).

The MoU reads: “Based on the above, the Union agreed to suspend their action to allow these resolutions to be activated.”

Persecondnews recalls that following the ultimatum issued by the in-house unions NUEE and SSAEAC to TCN Management over various labour issues, which elapsed on Monday, September 23, the Minister of Power, represented by the Director Distribution Services and Director Planning, Research and Statistics of the Federal Ministry of Power, intervened in response to the unions’ picketing exercise.

The MoU stated that after extensive discussions, the following agreements were reached: the unions will honour the Minister’s request to review the committee’s report by October 6-7, with implementation expected to begin in October 2025.

It also said the two organisations – TCN and NISO – shall meet to evaluate the financial implication of the report and prepare an implementation plan to be discussed with the honourable minister and the unions.

The MoU added that the two in-house unions will reconvene in another meeting with the management of TCN and NISO to resolve other issues accordingly.

The MoU urged NERC to expedite actions on the review of the tariffs of TCN and NISO to enable implementation of the report.

According to the MoU, no employee will be victimised on the account of participation in the industrial action.

Persecondnews reports that electricity workers on Thursday initiated an indefinite strike, plunging the nation into darkness, accusing TCN of neglecting its staff and forcing them to work under harsh conditions.

At the core of the dispute are several critical issues, including unpaid salaries since April, the denial of the new national minimum wage, and a severe lack of essential work tools, operational vehicles, and protective equipment.